Super Bowl XLIX

These photos were originally published by seattlepi.com and Hearst Newspapers. You can see more of our Super Bowl coverage here.
In my profession I have to occasionally break away from the viewfinder to just absorb the environments and places where I end up. Recently photojournalism placed me in the center of one of our country’s largest annual cultural events. Super Bowl XLIX was the third time I got to witness the big game through the tunnel vision provided by long telephoto lenses. I am actually not much of a sports fan, but it’s nearly impossible to not get caught up in all the excitement and drama of a close game. My photography concentrated on our hometown Seattle Seahawks. And sadly for the Seahawks and their enthusiastic fans, the previous champions lost to the Patriots in what turned out to be one of the best Super Bowl games in recent history. One thing is certain about sports photography. Documenting the winning team is much easier than photographing a team as they lose.

Super Bowl XLIX kicked off with a flyover by the US Air Force Thunderbirds.

Actor Chris Pratt rallied Seahawks fans outside the stadium at the NFL Network set.

Inside University of Phoenix Stadium, the Seahawks took to the field.

Seahawks player Chris Matthews, who had been a little-noticed and un-drafted member of the team, had a breakout game. He made spectacular catches and pulled down a touchdown in the end zone. If the Seahawks would have won, he may have been up for MVP. Before earning a spot on the team he was applying for a job working at a Foot Locker shoe store.

Jeremy Lane intercepted a Tom Brady pass, but the play ended when he landed on his had, snapping his wrist in a gruesome injury that was mostly cut from television broadcasts.

Marshawn Lynch pushed his way into the end zone and perfectly displayed his signature Beast Mode.

The half time show was incredible. From a production level, there we no expenses spared. Musician Katy Perry owned the stage and the audience.

In the second half the Patriots ran away with the game.

But the Seahawks made a valiant effort to take back the game. And here is my frustration with the game.

Jermaine Kearse made what was one of the most impressive catches I have ever seen. He bobbled the ball, lost control and somehow regained it. His magical catch put the Seahawks into scoring position in the final minutes of the game. If the Seahawks would have won, the catch likely would have been the marquee play of the game. And it happened right in front of me. I had the correct lens and somehow was not blocked by all the security guards that were filing onto the field at that exact moment. The security guards filing onto the field blocked the view of most of the photographers kneeling in the end zone. Even the NFL Films photographers were blocked on what would have been a key play.

This all made the Seahawks loss more frustrating.

Here is a series of photos from the play.

But after the catch, the Patriots intercepted the ball near the goal line, and won Super Bowl 49.

Then a brawl started on the field.

It got ugly and the television cameras again cut away to filter what living room audiences saw.

Seahawks players and fans were visibly disgusted with the outcome.

An unopened box of Seahawks-colored confetti sat next to one of the confetti cannons spraying Patriots-colored paper over the field.

As the Patriots celebration was winding down —and Coach Bill Belichick was walking off the field— Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson appeared in a hallway to quietly congratulate the coach on the win. This happened away from most of the cameras. I was walking past as the encounter happened.